Veerasamy Ringadoo

The Right Honourable Sir
Veerasamy Ringadoo
GCMG GCSK QC
1st President of Mauritius
In office
12 March 1992 – 30 June 1992
Prime MinisterAnerood Jugnauth
Vice PresidentVacant
Preceded byElizabeth II
as Queen of Mauritius
Succeeded byCassam Uteem
6th Governor-General of Mauritius
In office
17 January 1986 – 12 March 1992
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterSir Anerood Jugnauth
Preceded bySir Cassam Moollan (acting)
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born
Vīracāmi Riṅkāṭu

20 October 1920
Port Louis, British Mauritius[1]
Died9 September 2000(2000-09-09) (aged 79)
Alma materLondon School of Economics (LSE)

Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, GCMG, GCSK, QC, (born Vīracāmi Riṅkāṭu; 20 October 1920 – 9 September 2000) was a Mauritian politician, minister, the sixth and last governor-general of Mauritius from 1986 to 1992, and then the first president of Mauritius from March to June 1992.

Early life

Born in 1920 in an Indian Tamil family,[2] Ringadoo was educated at Port Louis Grammar School and completed his LLB at the London School of Economics in 1948. He was also a founder of the League of Tamils in 1937.[3]

Political career

At the 1953 general elections he was elected for the first time to the Legislative Council in Moka-Flacq, representing Labour Party alongside Ackbar Gujadhur and Satcam Boolell.[4] At the 1959 and 1963 elections he was elected to the Legislative Council at No. 17 Quartier Militaire after standing as candidate of Labour Party.[5][6]

In 1967, he was elected to Legislative Council at Constituency No. 8 (Quartier Militaire-Moka) as candidate of the Independence Party coalition alongside Mahess Teeluck and Abdool Razack Mohamed.[7]

In 1976, he was re-elected at No. 8, alongside Mahess Teeluck.[8] He held the portfolio of finance minister of Mauritius during most of these terms. But at the 1982 general elections he was not elected following the landslide victory of MMM-PSM against PTr-PMSD.[9]

He served as governor-general of Mauritius from 17 January 1986 to 12 March 1992, when it became a republic. Ringadoo then served as interim president until later in 1992, when he was replaced by the second president, Cassam Uteem.[citation needed]

Recognition

Ringadoo was knighted in the 1975 New Year Honours,[10] and following his appointment as Governor-General, appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in June 1986.[11]

References

  1. ^ Who's who of Rhodesia, Mauritius, Central and East Africa. Wooten & Gibson. 1971. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Mauritius - Politics of the Republic of Mauritius".
  3. ^ "History of the Tamil League". Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  4. ^ "1953 results of elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
  5. ^ "1959 election results". Government of Mauritius.
  6. ^ "1963 Results of elections". Government of Mauritius.
  7. ^ "Results of 1967 elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
  8. ^ "Results of 1976 elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
  9. ^ "Results of 1982 elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
  10. ^ London Gazette, 1 January 1975
  11. ^ London Gazette, 10 June 1986
Government offices
Preceded by Governor-General of Mauritius
1986–1992 		Succeeded by
Position abolished
Political offices
Preceded by President of Mauritius
1992 		Succeeded by